Staff Picks: August 2015 Edition

Fool’s Gold DAY OFF started out five years ago in a parking lot in SoHo: a place for friends and label fam to celebrate music’s electric, unclassifiable underground. Today, DAY OFF spans five cities, a lineup featuring everyone from Meek Mill to Skepta, and a sprawling, post-scene culture. DAY OFF 2015 shows started on Saturday in LA. We’ve got the official compilation here: featuring 14 tracks from A-Trak, Nick Catchdubs, Brenmar, and more -- plus exclusives from Rome Fortune, Shash’U, Bames, Hoodboi, and GrandeMarshall. Listen up.

Following 2014’s Peacemaker mixtape, LA-based producer dropped $$$ SECRET STASH $$$. The first installment of the edit series quickly hit #1 on Audiomack’s Trending chart; downloaded by more than 64,000 fans in less than 24 hours. The first track, “All Day”, from SECRET STASH 2 debuted two weeks on Beats 1 with Zane Lowe, garnering a blessing from Ye himself. Cop the full collection here.

“Nobody wants to see me die, but they don’t want to miss it if I do.” Evel Knievel was maybe the ultimate badass: the fearless (reckless) father of extreme sports, the daredevil who attempted over 75 jumps, and survived over 433 fractures. For Knievel, the leap was always worth the the cost of the crash. The myth lives on. Watch Daniel Junge’s extraordinary documentary at your own risk.

On September 25th, One Tribe will open its doors for the first time, bringing electronic’s underground and leading voices to the shores of Lake Perris, California. The goal: celebrate real music, real people, and extraordinary, awesome shared experiences. Headliners include Kygo, Tycho, Gramatik, Damian Lazarus, Rüfüs Du Sol, The Avener, and HVOB. Your first listen is here.

You may have heard UK producer Paul White's live-instrument infused hip-hop tracks backing acts like Danny Brown and Charli XCX. Despite having numerous hits in tow, the South London beatmaker, described as “a 21st century DJ Shadow”, had never released a full-length collaboration with a single artist. Then in 2013, he turned his attention to rising Florida MC/singer Eric Biddines. After a chance listen of Biddines' Planetcoffeebean2 mixtape and a brief email exchange, the duo's first tracks were complete, and Golden Rules was born. August saw the duo’s first release, Golden Ticket (Lex Records) on BitTorrent Bundle. Their laid-back debut spans pop, hip hop, and old school blues, and it’s all you need to get through these last late summer days.

The debut EP from LA-based producer Dylan Willoughby, in collaboration with Alysa Lobo and Kid Moxie, mines experimental electronic, house, grime, and synth pop. Earmilk described the EP as “four unique tracks without a low point.” It’s true. Grab the full record for $3.95 here.

San Diego Comic Con started as a celebration of comic book culture. It’s now something bigger, and stranger: in 2014, more than 130,000 people camped out, queued up, and changed into their costumes. Doug Benson’s Chronic Con provides a hazy lens on the convention floor, as we follow Benson on his quest to get high, find filmmaker Morgan Spurlock, and smoke with real life super-hero. In between, we get a laid-back and fully-baked look into the world of Comic Con weirdness. You can cop the full film here.

Fresh off the heels of Mocky’s Key Change and P. Morris’ Daydream EP, the two producers teamed up to remix each other’s tracks. Morris’ brings downtempo hip hop to Mocky’s “Head in the Clouds”, while Mocky bring acoustic orchestration to Morris’s lush “Billet Doux”. Download the split single collection here.

A Silent Film’s lush, super-cinematic sound is decidedly crushworthy, and deservedly acclaimed. 2015’s New Year EP was the duo’s long-awaited follow up to their Sand & Snow LP. To share the new music, they brought it on the road; to secret rooms across the US. Venues, announced only days in advance, included an abandoned warehouse, a historic recording space, and an old silent movie production studio. The Secret Rooms tour was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for fans. Now, everyone's invited in. The Secret Rooms Bundle features a collection of five bootlegs, live videos, curated photos, and more.

Tomorrow We Disappear chronicles the tragedy of modernization: following the Kathputli artist colony’s struggle for survival after their land is sold to developers. It’s beautiful, devastating look at the collision between communities and corporations; between the traditions we fight to uphold, and the things we mistake for progress. Watch the doc on Bundle.